A Layman's Guide to Personality Types A, B, C, and D

Can we really differentiate or classify people according to personality types? Will it be a true measure for scaling an individual? When it comes to personalities of individuals, each one can be classified based on the common factors that are found at the core of each type. As it has been studied, everyone exhibits―knowingly or unconsciously―these personality traits which signify what kind of men or women we are.

According to Michael Jawer and Marc Micozzi authors of 'The Spiritual Anatomy of Emotion: How Feelings Link the Brain, the Body, and the Sixth Sense', type C personalities are more prone to developing illnesses like colds and asthma than any other personality types.

Human behavior is not only a complex subject to understand, but it can also be unpredictable. Everyone tries to fathom what the next guy is thinking about or how he or she will act in a certain environment.

Personality Types

With the advances in the field of psychology and the deeper understanding of the psyche of man, psychologists have come up with type A, B, C, and D personalities. People from every walk of life―based on the behavior and personality traits that they exhibit―can be grouped under one of the types. However, rarely do we find a personality type that solely exhibits the traits of one type of personality. Usually, an individual is classified under a type that he predominantly exhibits traits of, but there are several other traits that he exhibits as well, depending on the situation. Let us understand the personality types A, B, C, and D in greater detail in the following sections.

These individuals are of a highly independent nature. Their ambition to leave their mark in this world singles them out. They are self-driven and know the importance of goal setting, positive thinking, and motivation. If you are interested in studying someone who falls under this type, choose one from the ranks of business leadership. They are competitive by nature and are highly time-conscious. They are looked on as people who are impatient, and could be easily prone to hostility, aggressiveness, and rudeness. They are well-known for their sharpness in getting to the heart of the matter in no-nonsense and blunt terms. Individuals of personality type A are risk takers which characterizes an entrepreneurial spirit. They do have the ability to put on the veil of practicality to solve a problem as and when it is required. The secret of these successful people is that they don't balk under the requirements and necessity of change which eventually makes them what they want to be.

Other characteristics that sets this personality type apart is the fact that they always need to be doing something―standing in lines, or waiting for the bus is a punishment, all they can think of is how much time they are wasting and how they could have been doing something worthwhile. Speaking of which, they are lost without their day's activities planned. It's not surprising for people to refer to them as being workaholics―in fact, they find it difficult to simply relax or even fall asleep quickly at night. They are also prone to cut people off while the other speaks and have been shown to have a low tolerance for incompetence. People who fall under the type A personality types are prone to suffer from hypertension, stress, heart disease, and social isolation.

Type B personalities are essentially the exact opposite of type A personalities. They are hardly stressed, even in seemingly stressful situations. They are extremely relaxed in any situation and people often describe them as being happy-go-lucky. They are usually cheerful and carefree in most situations and people love hanging out with them because they are usually entertaining and fun to be around. People under this type are characterized by their lack of urgency―they are able to get work done in their own pace, without being driven by deadlines. They love to relax and take things as they come.

Type B personalities are less competitive, and while they give a project their all, they are not stressed about it―constantly worrying about the outcome and success. In fact, they are able to handle failures very well―taking them as obstacles and moving on to other projects.

Another factor that sets them apart is that they are extremely patient and maintain the same patience in the most tense and stressful conditions. They never give in to pressure and aggression, and they never get frantic about anything. They are also very tolerant, flexible, and adaptable in situations, and they hardly ever complain about things.

They lead a full social life, because they like connecting with people and forming strong emotional bonds with them. And being cheerful and entertaining by nature, they make friends easily.

This personality type usually comprises introverts interested in details, which separates them from the rest of the types. They could turn heaven and hell upside down or inside-out to find a fact they are interested in, before taking it to pieces in order to restart the process. They do not take things at face value and are interested in finding out exactly how things work. They think very systematically and analytically and make decisions based on research and information backing them up. Owing to this fact, they tend to be natural problem solvers because they focus on details and are able to notice and register things that other personality types may not as easily. Highly sensitive, they are also known for other character traits like being deep and thoughtful.

These people tend to shirk from social or human interaction. Arranging facts in a logical order is what drives these people. You can find people of type C personified in accountants, computer programmers, etc. These people find it difficult to get out of their shell and communicate with other people, but are extremely competent when it comes to numbers and logic. A reserved nature is the mark of type C personalities, and they are cautious as well. Risk taking is not a very attractive option for these people who tend not to venture into something until they have gone over all the facts with a fine-toothed comb.

Being sticklers of detail and knowledge, and priding in backing every decision with research, they do not do well with criticism. They are also over critical of the people around them.

These individuals really believe in inertia which they have no shortage of. They prefer to stick to the trodden paths and established routines over the uncertainty of change. These are followers of the spent actions and executors of the direct commands. You will find them doing their best not to stretch their neck out when it comes to taking responsibility and risk. With the help of professionals in the field of personality development and through sheer power of self motivation or self-improvement, these people can overcome their handicap to some extent.

These individuals, which make 21 percent of the population, are afflicted by negativity such as worry, irritability, gloom, etc., and hardly feel self-assured. To avoid rejection, they avoid opening up and sharing their negative emotions. This causes them to suffer from enormous amount of stress which makes them prone to heart-related diseases. The studies show that as many as 18 to 53 percent of cardiac patients have type D personality.

In reality, an individual is a mixture of personality traits characterizing all the types described above. Won't you agree with me that this makes men more complex, women more mysterious to understand, and the world more colorful? This is why, you have to work real hard and over a long period to know a person properly. However, one must keep in mind that these types are just broad classifications to follow in order to know anyone well, and even then, just.

I think based on the reading I just did, I am completely extrovert. - Alassane Kante [September 28, 2016]

Dank Memes - Terrible [May 16, 2016]

terrible - Dank Memes [May 16, 2016]

is there a type AB? - AlissaJo [May 30, 2015]

I feel that I am Personality Type D. Because I do feel that I am self motivated because if I wasn't I wouldn't have a reason to wake up every morning. I do feel that I could have been a little bite of Personality type A but I'm not good at setting goals sometimes. - Brandon Davis [February 26, 2015]

Thanks for this study.It helps me in my work in Liberia.Many thanks. - John B Travis [November 4, 2014]

I think I'm more of a type A personality. The reasons for this I feel like I'm a strong leader and dumb people just make me angry. I never want to waste time and I need a plan for everyday that helps me layout what is happening. - Lane [October 3, 2014]

Where can you take the test for this ? - Josef [September 21, 2014]

This is interesting. I was familiar with Type A and Type B personality but I didn't know there were two other personality types (C and D). I would consider myself a mix of Type A personality and Type C personality than either of the others. I would like to learn more about this subject. Reading this has gotten my curiosity up. - Marianne [September 15, 2014]

What is the difference between Type A personality and Type C. Both are prone to stress and both are perfectionists? So I suppose the difference has to do with the way those people are expressing their emotions? - Stella [August 6, 2014]

Really we can identify the people their categories according their personality (behaviour, lifestyle, talking style) - Arabinda Nayak [May 20, 2014]

I am APPALLED. Why do these descriptions appear like they are only for the male species? Do these personality traits and the test not apply to women? Can someone kindly send me back to the 21st century please? It seems like i'm lost in some sort of time warp here.a - AB [April 18, 2014]

Fullform of my name RAJIB - Rajib [March 1, 2013]

what given of part of the heart because i need the test paper of science

very nice and informative.. unfortunately Im a type-A personlaity and this got me into many heath problems, one is the constant anxiety disorder Im suffering from from a week now and still have while writing this comment as I cant stop reading your articles.. I wish I were a type-B, it would have been way easier than the life I used to live... I really like to relax and have some time off, this would help me reduce my high stress levels and lead a normal easy life..

I tend to take everything in a rushing way, want to finish this and this and this as fast as possible... waiting is a nightmare to me... I prefer not to get what I want to wait until I get it! I hate waiting so much, SO FREAKING MUCH! And this is since I was a kid... I have TUI (Time Urgency and Impatience).. I really dont know why Im that way, this is not normal or healthy.. I wish I can cool down and stay still and just relax and let go... That will definitely help releasing my anxiety level... Keep your fingers crossed for me :)